Spurs seek sweet smell of pre-rodeo success

When the Spurs walk into the AT&T Center for their 27th home game of the NBA season, they will take a long, loving look at a setting they won’t view again for nearly a month.

Before departing after Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets, each of the Spurs may want to take a deep breath. They know what awaits them the next time they walk through the doors after the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo takes over the building for its annual run.

“That first day in the arena,” said guard Manu Ginobili, “there is a very thick aroma hitting us when we get there.”

It is not the smell of victory, which is what the 39-7 Spurs have savored the past 17 times they have suited up at home. Olfactory reminders that athletes of the equine and bovine variety shared their quarters linger for weeks.

For the sake of their noses alone, tonight’s game is one for the Spurs to value, and the NBA calendar makes it even more vital.

The schedule makers this season added a quirk to the team’s annual rodeo road trip: a three-game, pre-rodeo road trip that spanned three time zones and five days.

Sandwiched in between, like a solitary slice of pastrami between two thick slabs of pumpernickel, is tonight’s game against the Rockets.

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t even unpacked,” said Ginobili, who landed in San Antonio with his teammates in the wee hours of Thursday morning. “Now I have to pack a bigger one.”

Seeing nine straight road games on the schedule after tonight’s game lends an extra degree of urgency to the battle against the Rockets.

“Every game at home is always huge for us, especially because of the situation we’re in now,” Ginobili said. “We don’t ? want to start messing up and giving opportunities to other teams.

“We’re in a great spot and taking care of business should be the first thing we do. But, of course, what’s coming next is going to be huge, too. Nine games in a row. West, East, all kinds of teams, a lot of back-to-backs. We are ahead of a very important stretch of games for us.”

The Spurs and Rockets last played Nov. 6, an overtime victory for the Spurs and the beginning of a swoon for the Rockets tied to injury misfortune. Houston lost standout point guard Aaron Brooks for 21 games after he landed on Ginobili’s foot and sprained his right ankle after launching a leaping, half-court shot at the end of the first half.

Days later, Houston’s 7-foot-6 center, Yao Ming, experienced more pain in his surgically repaired left foot and ankle. When an MRI exam revealed another fracture, he was declared out for the remainder of the season.

Losing Yao was a blow to Houston’s hopes to remain an elite team, but the Rockets regained their equilibrium after learning he would be out for the season. They got to .500 by mid-December and entered 2011 with a record of 16-16.

“When you don’t know what’s going to happen you are always playing with an edge,” said Spurs point guard Tony Parker. “It’s hard to play like that, so I think it helps them to get a rotation going and see what they are going to do. I think they are playing a little bit better right now.”

“They suffered when Yao went down, and they missed Brooks, too, Ginobili said. “He’s a big part of what they do.”

Brooks returned on Dec. 19, mostly coming off the bench behind Kyle Lowry.

“They’ve got him back and they’ve got (Kyle) Lowry playing well,” Ginobili said. “It’s a better set team and they know who they are and how they play, and they’re tough.

“The Rockets are always a tough team to play. They are good defenders, they hustle a lot and are very solid. It’s an important game for us.”